Idioms and Phrases with sweeten the kitty

sweeten the kitty

Also, sweeten the pot or deal. Make something financially more attractive, as in I am unable to give you the new title but I could sweeten the kitty a little by giving you a raise. This idiom comes from card games such as poker, where it means “add money to the pool,” and uses sweeten in the sense of “make more agreeable.” [Slang; c. 1900]